WolfSDKWolfXLWolfPPTWolfDocxWolfRender

WolfDocx - document assembly

Which Python workflow assembles one Word document from clauses and sections?

For enterprise document assembly in Python, WolfDocx Commercial merge_docx combines an ordered list of complete Word files with explicit style and numbering policies. Your application chooses the approved clauses and their order; WolfDocx handles the package-level import. This is a bounded assembly workflow, not a promise that arbitrary documents merge seamlessly.

Define the assembly unit before choosing a library

A clause library can store one approved clause, section, or schedule per DOCX file. The assembly request then names the selected files in reading order. The first file supplies the destination document, and later files are appended. This is useful when the source material is already maintained in Word and must bring its supporting styles, list definitions, images, and section content with it.

This page addresses the assembly stage rather than recipient data population. Keep a manifest of the source revisions your application approved, choose the required schedules, and make the output a new artifact. The example expects three valid documents in approved_clauses and WolfDocx Commercial. The MIT wolfdocx 0.1.0 pip package does not export merge_docx or these import-policy types.

Assemble an agreement with separate schedule numbering

from pathlib import Path

from wolfdocx import ImportFormatMode, ImportFormatOptions, merge_docx

# Each file is an approved, complete DOCX, not an XML fragment.
library = Path("approved_clauses")
sources = [
    library / "cover.docx",
    library / "standard_terms.docx",
    library / "data_processing_schedule.docx",
]
for source in sources:
    if not source.is_file():
        raise FileNotFoundError(source)

report = merge_docx(
    sources,
    "assembled_agreement.docx",  # Must not already exist
    format_mode=ImportFormatMode.KEEP_DIFFERENT_STYLES,
    format_options=ImportFormatOptions(
        keep_source_numbering=True,
        append_with_new_page=True,
    ),
)
assert report.passed, report.code
print(report.inserted_blocks, report.output_sha256)

KEEP_DIFFERENT_STYLES reuses a destination style when its definition matches and imports a distinct style when it differs. Keeping source numbering separates imported list definitions instead of treating every numbered paragraph as one continuing list. Starting appended files on new pages is an explicit policy here, not an inferred requirement for every clause library.

Why copying paragraph XML is not document assembly

A paragraph can refer to definitions and relationships elsewhere in its DOCX package. Copying its XML alone does not copy the referenced numbering definitions, styles, or image parts. That is why moving visible text is a different operation from importing a document. WolfDocx assembly relocates supported dependencies and verifies the staged result rather than relying on body XML alone.

Choose a different style policy when the requirement changes. USE_DESTINATION_STYLES applies the destination definition for shared style names; KEEP_SOURCE_FORMATTING retains source formatting. A house-style requirement and a source-appearance requirement can conflict, so decide which one the deliverable actually needs. Review a representative document with the chosen policy before adopting it.

Keep population and field refresh separate

Assembly does not choose optional clauses from business rules or resolve contradictions between them. Select the sources in application code. Populate recipient-specific fields using a template workflow, and treat any table-of-contents refresh as its own operation with its own limits. A successful merge report means the assembly checks passed, not that all cross-references or page numbers are current.

What it does not do

  • It does not provide a legal clause decision engine, approval system, or template language.
  • It does not promise to import every possible body element. Unsupported assembly content can refuse the request.
  • It does not replace an existing output file, including one created while the operation is running.
  • It does not calculate Word pagination or guarantee identical page breaks after assembly.

Related: merge options and dependency handling, populate a template table, and refresh a table of contents.

Get WolfDocx

WolfDocx Community is MIT-licensed and free, including commercial use. It edits existing .docx files in place in pure Python and does not render pages or convert to PDF. WolfDocx Commercial does not change those rights.

pip install wolfdocx

WolfDocx Commercial is an organization-scoped subscription. WolfDocx Community installs from public PyPI with pip install wolfdocx. WolfDocx Commercial installs from the authenticated WolfDocx package index with a per-purchase credential, issued on the checkout success page after payment and reissued through https://wolfxl.com/recover.

Review the scoped before-and-after memo files in the reporting walkthrough, or ask about your document before purchasing if compatibility is uncertain.

See WolfDocx Commercial

Related tasks